Are Anglo-Canadians Ready to Cut the Cord?

More than four in 10 watched TV online last year

For the most part, English-speaking consumers in Canada are going to be keeping their cable TV services intact, according to research from Media Technology Monitor.

The firm’s fall 2013 polling found that 16% of all English speakers surveyed, along with 20% of self-identified visible minorities, had at least some level of interest in cutting off their paid TV service in favor of going online-only. Perhaps surprisingly, this was received most favorably among Gen Xers and younger boomers—though many consumers in Canada under 25 may not have a cable cord to cut in the first place.

These results come as little surprise when examined along with digital video viewership rates. The survey found 42% of Anglo-Canadians watched TV online in 2013, up from 22% in 2008. Four in 10 watched on a smartphone, up from one-quarter in 2009.